Fighting the nostalgia this week. Yesterday marks T-minus one month until I fly home to the beach for Christmas... and that means this Berlin-based chapter of my future autobiography will be done-zo. In January, I'll get off the plane

I'm already in the mood to like, only ask people about their holiday travel plans and nothing else. And, only partially due to my own plans, I now totally believe that the holidays are also actually a really clutch time for big life/career moves.

Things are all at once sleepy and busy, and nobody's doing anything productive, which means there's a big fat month open when you can take some action.

To illustrate: Last year, my brother Mike officially made me put my foot in my mouth (not literally) after landing a new job in mid-December and

starting work on December 21.

Don't say it can't be done. I've seen it happen myself.

Whether you're looking for a new gig right now or not, I've got a solid almost-end-of-year advice nugget for you today.

Pick three people who have been influential in your career thus far or been kind enough to give you some advice this year. They don't have to be current colleagues.

Be thoughtful, professional, and warm. Write four sentences about why working with them is such a blast, and what their greatest strengths are.

Here's an example of one I wrote last year:

"I worked alongside ______ for six months to help the ______ product team incorporate copy testing into their UX methodology. ______ is a truly collaborative team member. She carefully considers fresh ideas, knows when to ask for help, and doesn't get distracted from her mission in the wake of flat results.

She is a designer who deeply cares about putting users first--and she taught me plenty about how to expertly craft an A/B test. Would recommend her in a heartbeat."

It will pop up as an awesome surprise in their inbox, and they will think of you fondly. And--bonus--they may even return the favor.

You guys know I'm all about the long game.

This is something you can do today that will pay off dividends for years to come.

PS:

Digging the #entrylevelboss life? The best way to care is to share, baby.

Great news. I'm getting on the phone with you in December, and answering questions about how to job search over the holidays. You can all dial in, from anywhere in the world. Mark your calendars now for